Mats of various types have been in existence for many years. Typically, such mats are placed at entrances of buildings and other structures (e.g., tents) for purposes of cleaning the bottom surfaces of footwear prior to entry into a building or other structure. Such mats can also be used for protecting floor surfaces and the like.
It has been particularly found that in fighting rings (sometimes referred to as boxing rings), the fighters between rounds typically are attended to by one or more corner workers and during such time various fluids may come in contact with the floor surface, such as water, sweat, blood, and the like. In the past, such fluids have typically been wiped with a towel by a corner worker at the start of the next round. It has been found however, that in some instances, the floor surface of the fighting ring is not sufficiently dried which poses a significant hazard to a fighter due to slippage. It is known in the fighting profession that up to 80% of fighters can experience slips and/or falls due to such fluids on the canvas floor of the boxing ring over the course of their fighting careers. Some of these falls have caused significant injuries.
It has also been found that although various mats have been used for purposes of protecting floor surfaces from collecting dirt and the like from the undersides of footwear, there is a need for floor mats which can further provide some type of information which can be seen by people in the vicinity of the mat. Typically, this information is advertising or other information which may be useful to the person observing the mat. Although mats have been in existence which display some type of advertising or other information on the mat, there is a particular need for mats which allow different information to be presented on the mat in a straightforward and efficient manner.